Hellborg began his music career in 1976 in Sweden touring with local rock acts. He was spotted by percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah in a small club in Stockholm 1979 and he moved to London for a year to work with Reebop on different projects.[1] He played the Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland in 1981 and met Michael Brecker who introduced him to John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham and other fusion stars.[2] He was asked to join McLaughlin's reformed Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1983. He stayed with McLaughlin until 1988, touring and recording with Mahavishnu Orchestra. He also did several duet tours with McLaughlin during this time.[3]
In 1986 and 1987 he toured with a project featuring Ginger Baker on drums and Bernie Worrell on keyboards, which appears on Hellborg's 1988 album "Bass".[4] They continued to perform together in 1989.[5]
In 1988 Hellborg moved to New York and started his own band which first included keyboardist Aydin Esen and drummer Kenwood Dennard,[6] and later the Johansson Brothers, Jens on keyboards and Anders on drums. He started a recording studio together with producer/bassist Bill Laswell called Greenpoint Studios. They recorded a multitude of records there until early 1993, including The Word together with Tony Williams, Octave of the Holy Innocents with Mike Shrieve and Buckethead, Material's Hallucination Engine, and E with the Johansson Brothers.
In 1993 he sold his part in the studio to Laswell and resettled in Paris, France. The following year he teamed up with guitarist Shawn Lane, a cooperation that would last nine years. The first record was Abstract Logic with Ginger Baker's son Kofi on drums; this was followed by Michael Shrieve's Two Doors. By the third record they were joined by drummer Jeff Sipe and embarked on a long stretch that produced four records and a lot of touring between 1995 and 1997.
In 1998 Hellborg met percussionist V. Selvaganesh at a Zakir Hussain concert in Paris. The two formed a long lasting musical partnership that has been ongoing since then. To start with, Selvaganesh joined Hellborg in duets and in different "classical" settings Hellborg was working on at the time. Later a group was formed, first in trio with Lane, then a quintet including Selvaganesh's 2 brothers V. Umashankar and V. Umamahesh. Two CDs and a DVD were produced with this group. After Shawn Lane's death in 2003, Hellborg has continued to explore amalgamations of Indian and Western music, working with Indian masters as Debashish Bhattacharya, Niladri Kumar, Vikku Vinayakram, Tanmoy Bose and U. Shrinivas. He has also started a new metal-fusion project with guitarist Mattias IA Eklundh called Art Metal.
Hellborg founded his own record label Day Eight Music (D.E.M.) in 1979 releasing his first solo bass record The Bassic Thing – an early showcase of his pioneering chordal, and for the time very advanced, slapping approaches. It was the first LP ever to feature solely bass guitar. With the move to the US, a new entity was formed, called Bardo Music, that took over the responsibilities of Hellborg's output, now counting around 40 releases.
Musical equipmentEdit
Hellborg with his signature Warwick bass model, Innsbruck 2011
Hellborg has been involved in instrument design from early in his career. His work includes a signature model for Aria, the first ever biamped bass amplifier (in cooperation with Italian company FBT), a double neck bass, fretted and fretless, for British company Wal in 1983, and, in 1984, an acoustic bass in collaboration with master luthier Abraham Wechter.
After working with a half dozen other companies with signature models and inventions he, together with the German manufacturer Warwick, created a new bass and a high end line of bass amplification.[7]
Hellborg published two books in the early 80s with Music Sales of London, one on slap bass called Thumb Bassics, and a chord book called Chord Bassics.
ActingEdit
As a teenager Hellborg appeared as an actor in the TV series Hem till byn (Home to the Village), a widely popular dramatic series inspired by everyday life in Sweden, in which Jonas's mother, actress Tove Waltenburg, played one of the main characters. He appeared in the first three seasons, in 1971, 1973 and 1976, as well as in one episode in season four (in 1990), where his character has become a famous bass player. According to IMDb[unreliable source?], playing Anders Persson in Hem till Byn is his only acting credit.
DiscographyEdit
As band leader
The Bassic Thing (solo bass) (1979), Day Eight Music
Dreamland (1983), Day Eight Music
Elegant Punk (solo bass) (1984), Day Eight Music
Axis (1986), Day Eight Music
Bass (1988), Day Eight Music
Adfa (1989), Day Eight Music
The Silent Life (acoustic solo bass) (1991), Day Eight Music
With RAF (feat. Peter Brötzmann, Bill Laswell, Jamal Evans)
Ode to a Tractor (1992), Day Eight Music
With Reebop
Melodies in a Jungle Man's Head, Day Eight Music
With Shining Path
No Other World (1992)
With Busch-Werk
Busch-Werk & the Masters of Groove (DVD) (2009), Zauberhaus-Records (feat. Nippy Noya, and Famoudou Konaté)
Trance (2011), Zauberhaus-Records (feat. Nippy Noya, Famoudou Konaté, and Baba Sissoko)
ReferencesEdit
^Fox, Brian. "Jonas Hellborg: Bass Without Borders". Bassplayer.com. Future Publishing Limited Quay House. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
^von Trath, Fritz. "Nordic Authors: Jonas Hellborg". Runeberg.org. Lindköping University Sweden. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
^Prasad, Anil. "Jonas Hellborg: Grids of Reality". Innerviews.org. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
^Astarita, Glenn. "Jonas Hellborg; Bass". AllMusic. Rhythm One Group. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
^Eriksson, Cristoffer (5 November 2019). "Cream drummer Ginger Baker remembered". Stargazed Magazine. COUVERT i SVERIGE AB. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
^"Jonas Hellborg - New Beginnings". Abstract Logix. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
^Friedland, Ed (June 2008). "Jonas Hellborg: Take the Reins". JazzTimes. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
External linksEdit
Hellborg's personal site
Bardo Records website
Jonas Hellborg Cover Story in Bass Musician Magazine
Jonas Hellborg Cover Story in Bass Player Magazine
October 17, 2023
jonas, hellborg, born, june, 1958, swedish, bass, guitarist, collaborated, with, john, mclaughlin, ustad, sultan, khan, fazal, qureshi, bill, laswell, shawn, lane, jens, johansson, anders, johansson, ginger, baker, michael, shrieve, selvaganesh, jeff, sipe, ma. Jonas Hellborg born 7 June 1958 is a Swedish bass guitarist He has collaborated with John McLaughlin Ustad Sultan Khan Fazal Qureshi Bill Laswell Shawn Lane Jens Johansson Anders Johansson Ginger Baker Michael Shrieve V Selvaganesh Jeff Sipe Mattias IA Eklundh Public Image Ltd and Buckethead Jonas HellborgHellborg in 1990Background informationBorn 1958 06 07 7 June 1958 age 65 OriginSwedenGenresJazz fusion progressive rock carnatic music world fusionOccupation s Musician composerInstrument s Bass Contents 1 Recording career 2 Musical equipment 3 Acting 4 Discography 5 References 6 External linksRecording career EditHellborg began his music career in 1976 in Sweden touring with local rock acts He was spotted by percussionist Reebop Kwaku Baah in a small club in Stockholm 1979 and he moved to London for a year to work with Reebop on different projects 1 He played the Montreux Jazz festival in Switzerland in 1981 and met Michael Brecker who introduced him to John McLaughlin Billy Cobham and other fusion stars 2 He was asked to join McLaughlin s reformed Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1983 He stayed with McLaughlin until 1988 touring and recording with Mahavishnu Orchestra He also did several duet tours with McLaughlin during this time 3 In 1986 and 1987 he toured with a project featuring Ginger Baker on drums and Bernie Worrell on keyboards which appears on Hellborg s 1988 album Bass 4 They continued to perform together in 1989 5 In 1988 Hellborg moved to New York and started his own band which first included keyboardist Aydin Esen and drummer Kenwood Dennard 6 and later the Johansson Brothers Jens on keyboards and Anders on drums He started a recording studio together with producer bassist Bill Laswell called Greenpoint Studios They recorded a multitude of records there until early 1993 including The Word together with Tony Williams Octave of the Holy Innocents with Mike Shrieve and Buckethead Material s Hallucination Engine and E with the Johansson Brothers In 1993 he sold his part in the studio to Laswell and resettled in Paris France The following year he teamed up with guitarist Shawn Lane a cooperation that would last nine years The first record was Abstract Logic with Ginger Baker s son Kofi on drums this was followed by Michael Shrieve s Two Doors By the third record they were joined by drummer Jeff Sipe and embarked on a long stretch that produced four records and a lot of touring between 1995 and 1997 In 1998 Hellborg met percussionist V Selvaganesh at a Zakir Hussain concert in Paris The two formed a long lasting musical partnership that has been ongoing since then To start with Selvaganesh joined Hellborg in duets and in different classical settings Hellborg was working on at the time Later a group was formed first in trio with Lane then a quintet including Selvaganesh s 2 brothers V Umashankar and V Umamahesh Two CDs and a DVD were produced with this group After Shawn Lane s death in 2003 Hellborg has continued to explore amalgamations of Indian and Western music working with Indian masters as Debashish Bhattacharya Niladri Kumar Vikku Vinayakram Tanmoy Bose and U Shrinivas He has also started a new metal fusion project with guitarist Mattias IA Eklundh called Art Metal Hellborg founded his own record label Day Eight Music D E M in 1979 releasing his first solo bass record The Bassic Thing an early showcase of his pioneering chordal and for the time very advanced slapping approaches It was the first LP ever to feature solely bass guitar With the move to the US a new entity was formed called Bardo Music that took over the responsibilities of Hellborg s output now counting around 40 releases Musical equipment Edit nbsp Hellborg with his signature Warwick bass model Innsbruck 2011Hellborg has been involved in instrument design from early in his career His work includes a signature model for Aria the first ever biamped bass amplifier in cooperation with Italian company FBT a double neck bass fretted and fretless for British company Wal in 1983 and in 1984 an acoustic bass in collaboration with master luthier Abraham Wechter After working with a half dozen other companies with signature models and inventions he together with the German manufacturer Warwick created a new bass and a high end line of bass amplification 7 Hellborg published two books in the early 80s with Music Sales of London one on slap bass called Thumb Bassics and a chord book called Chord Bassics Acting EditAs a teenager Hellborg appeared as an actor in the TV series Hem till byn Home to the Village a widely popular dramatic series inspired by everyday life in Sweden in which Jonas s mother actress Tove Waltenburg played one of the main characters He appeared in the first three seasons in 1971 1973 and 1976 as well as in one episode in season four in 1990 where his character has become a famous bass player According to IMDb unreliable source playing Anders Persson in Hem till Byn is his only acting credit Discography EditAs band leaderThe Bassic Thing solo bass 1979 Day Eight Music Dreamland 1983 Day Eight Music Elegant Punk solo bass 1984 Day Eight Music Axis 1986 Day Eight Music Bass 1988 Day Eight Music Adfa 1989 Day Eight Music The Silent Life acoustic solo bass 1991 Day Eight Music Jonas Hellborg Group 1990 Day Eight Music Jonas Hellborg Group E 1991 Day Eight Music The Word 1991 Axiom Ars Moriende 1994 Day Eight Music with Glen Velez Abstract Logic 1995 Bardo Octave of the Holy Innocents 1993 Day Eight Music re released 2003 Bardo Temporal Analogues of Paradise 1996 Bardo Time Is the Enemy 1997 Bardo Aram of the Two Rivers 1999 Bardo Zenhouse 1999 Bardo Good People in Times of Evil 2000 Bardo Personae 2002 Bardo Icon A Transcontinental Gathering 2003 Bardo Paris 2004 DVD Bardo Kali s Son 2006 Bardo Art Metal 2007 Bardo The Jazz Raj 2014 BardoWith The Mahavishnu OrchestraMahavishnu 1984 Warner Bros Adventures in Radioland 1986 RelativityWith DeadlineDissident 1991 Day Eight Music Down by Law CellWith Michael Joseph SmithFaces Day Eight Music All our steps Day Eight MusicWith Michael ShrieveTwo Doors 1995 CMP with Shawn Lane THE LEAVING TIME NOVUS BMGWith Public Image LtdAlbum VirginWith Trilok GurtuUsfret CMPWith Sultan Khan and Fazal QureshiFriends Across Boundaries Ninaad MusicWith Ginger BakerUnseen Rain Day Eight Music Middle Passage AxiomWith Kollektivfeat Jonas Hellborg ITMWith Jens JohanssonFjaderlosa tvafotingar Day Eight MusicWith Anders JohanssonShutka Day Eight Music Red Shift HeptagonWith RAF feat Peter Brotzmann Bill Laswell Jamal Evans Ode to a Tractor 1992 Day Eight MusicWith ReebopMelodies in a Jungle Man s Head Day Eight MusicWith Shining PathNo Other World 1992 With Busch WerkBusch Werk amp the Masters of Groove DVD 2009 Zauberhaus Records feat Nippy Noya and Famoudou Konate Trance 2011 Zauberhaus Records feat Nippy Noya Famoudou Konate and Baba Sissoko References Edit Fox Brian Jonas Hellborg Bass Without Borders Bassplayer com Future Publishing Limited Quay House Retrieved 5 January 2020 von Trath Fritz Nordic Authors Jonas Hellborg Runeberg org Lindkoping University Sweden Retrieved 5 January 2020 Prasad Anil Jonas Hellborg Grids of Reality Innerviews org Retrieved 5 January 2020 Astarita Glenn Jonas Hellborg Bass AllMusic Rhythm One Group Retrieved 4 January 2020 Eriksson Cristoffer 5 November 2019 Cream drummer Ginger Baker remembered Stargazed Magazine COUVERT i SVERIGE AB Retrieved 4 January 2020 Jonas Hellborg New Beginnings Abstract Logix Retrieved 5 January 2020 Friedland Ed June 2008 Jonas Hellborg Take the Reins JazzTimes Retrieved 17 April 2015 External links EditHellborg s personal site Bardo Records website Jonas Hellborg Cover Story in Bass Musician Magazine Jonas Hellborg Cover Story in Bass Player Magazine The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jonas Hellborg amp oldid 1177149911, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
